I've been fighting a losing battle with water at my property. Even though we live near the top of a hill, because of the topography, we get big problems with fast flowing water across our property. Well, this years crazy UK "summer" weather (thank you Mr. sunken jet stream) has me beat. Fast flowing flood water has finally deposited 30 tonnes of my drive substrate 1 mile, yes, 1 mile from my property!!!!!! The same water also lifted a 10 tonne slab of concrete & moved it 3' off it's footings. Enough is enough. So rather than drumming, yours truly + friends are part way through constructing a new drive (read small road) c/w storm drains. It's a big project. 80 tonnes of concrete should see things stabilised. Another worry off my mind.

... and quite a few £££ less in your pocket I'd imagine, phew, that a very long drive you've got there Andy, and draining systems are not cheap, nor is a JCB's rate per hour :(

I hope it will do the 'trick" and stops the flooding.

Where is the water drained? into the sub-soil or into the council's drains?

I prefer not to mention the cost :(, It's why I've been putting it off for three years. We're doing this job as economically as possible (by using "mates rates" labour, etc. + I know a lot of people with machines :) ), but to a high quality. My mantra is "make the first job the best job", then I don't have to worry about it again. That said, there's no getting away from the fact that we're constructing a small road. The drive is 500 foot long :(

I have two storm drain systems. One's already in place around the house. It was the first job I took care of when I bought the property. It's a 12" system with 5,000 gallons of underground capture capacity, that then goes to overflow ditches. I use the stored water to extract heat from in the winter via a heat pump linked into my geothermal & air source heating. That then pumps heated water under all the floors in my house. You can probably tell I'm into my system stuff :)

The new drains will go into a new culvert I'm constructing, & then onto the lane storm ditches.

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko138

Wow! Quite the project indeed!

Yes, it's a bit of a job alright, but nothing compared to the work I've already done on the property.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

That sucks but at least you guys are taking care of it! And I thought I had problems when I had my house re-piped the other day....

Yes Bo, I hate spending hard earned money on benign stuff, but if I left it any longer, it would be a much bigger (& more expensive) job. We both needed piping work done, but mine's on a more brutal scale :(

Holy deluge Batman....Goes to prove that the more you have, the bigger problems you have. My sympathies go out to you and your family Andy. And your bank account, poor thing. If you don't get this taken care of, the thread title could read, Lost my battle with alcohol....

Thanks for all your support, offers of help, & general humour. Although this is a fair sized task, it's no bigger than 10 or so other jobs I've done on the property since taking it on, & smaller than many. That said, it's come at the worst possible time financially. But hey, shit happens :)

Taking a day off digging & drainage today, as I'm installing my daughter in her accommodation in London. She's attending London film school at Ealing studios. Gotta give 'em wings & let 'em fly eh!

That sucks Andy! Glad to see you have help to keep the cost down though!

Yes Gary, & here's a picture of me "keeping the costs down" yesterday. Of course, I've got unlimited time on my hands right now, so I might as well be gainfully employed ;) ;) ;) I spent from 6:00AM shovelling & tamping. My back could take no more, so from mid afternoon, I was dumper truck driver, shifting mix from the concrete truck 1/4 of a mile away (that's as close as he could get to our property). 22 tons laid on Tuesday, another 18 tons to lay on Friday (thankfully, not by me), then another 60 ton of gravel next Monday, & we should be finished. Phew!!!!

Yes Gary, & here's a picture of me "keeping the costs down" yesterday. Of course, I've got unlimited time on my hands right now, so I might as well be gainfully employed ;) ;) ;) I spent from 6:00AM shovelling & tamping. My back could take no more, so from mid afternoon, I was dumper truck driver, shifting mix from the concrete truck 1/4 of a mile away (that's as close as he could get to our property). 22 tons laid on Tuesday, another 18 tons to lay on Friday (thankfully, not by me), then another 60 ton of gravel next Monday, & we should be finished. Phew!!!!

P.S. Gary, I hope this post finds you well :)

Wow... Just making the forms must have taken some serious time and materials. How much lumber?

Wow... Just making the forms must have taken some serious time and materials. How much lumber?

The drive is 500ft long, so that's 2,000ft of edging lumber, 1,000ft of curb edgings, 600ft of 8" storm drain, etc. Not difficult stuff, just lots of it :(

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Old Hyde

Nice property you have there, looks like you tend it well. Hope the project come out as expected so you can get back to drums!!

Yes, I have a ton of other things on the go right now, so I could really do without this!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swiss Matthias

It will be nice to have it done with your own hands though, right?

It helps keep the cost down. This is the first job on this property where I've brought in outside labour for any period of time. Up until a couple of years ago, I did absolutely everything myself. I'm a worker, I get stuff done, it's in my makeup to graft :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad About Drums

mmmh... 100 tons of stuff by hands is a lot, lot, lot of work, no matter how much you'll love to do it yourself, it's a killer, physically and mentaly... I'd say welcome to the machine.

I'm glad for you it's coming to an end Andy, this was a total bummer, financially and physically, I'm sure you'll be happy when it's behind... and unflooded!!!

yes Henri, I'll be glad to see the back of this. Although it's a fairly big job, it's probably the smallest of the major jobs we've done on this property, & thankfully, the last :)

Yes Gary, & here's a picture of me "keeping the costs down" yesterday. Of course, I've got unlimited time on my hands right now, so I might as well be gainfully employed ;) ;) ;) I spent from 6:00AM shovelling & tamping. My back could take no more, so from mid afternoon, I was dumper truck driver, shifting mix from the concrete truck 1/4 of a mile away (that's as close as he could get to our property). 22 tons laid on Tuesday, another 18 tons to lay on Friday (thankfully, not by me), then another 60 ton of gravel next Monday, & we should be finished. Phew!!!!

P.S. Gary, I hope this post finds you well :)

Rommell used less material reinforcing the Atlantic Wall. I had no idea civil engineering was a hobby of yours. Your drive looks like it should be in a royal park somewhere, unless of course it is, your majesty....

Guys, thank you for your kind words, but I must put you all straight on a few things, especially my background, & how I came to where I am now.

I started life in an orphanage on the dock road in Liverpool. Eventually adopted by a wonderful couple. Full of love, but humble finances (I was always the poor kid in our school). After being a bottom feeder pro drummer for 6 years, I gravitated towards my other skill, engineering. From there, & through hard work, I eventually started managing companies, travelling the globe several times over, & paying a heavy price re: family quality time & health. During this time, we bought our first house on a mortgage we couldn't really afford. A tiny row house in a not good area. We renovated that, & sold it on. Lived in rented accommodation for several years, until we bought a derelict cottage with a small parcel of land. That cottage had mostly 4 walls & a part roof. Took nearly 10 years to renovate that (100% our own labour) once we'd got it past the watertight stage. Sold that & made a good profit. Bought this property 7 years ago, & completed the sale in two weeks. It was rough, very rough. The grounds were in terrible condition (landslip, 6ft high brambles, etc). We had to strip the house back to it's shell & start over. Barn needed mostly rebuilding & converting. Grounds are a result of 6 years of hard work. 95% of the labour has been my own. I've been smart in reusing materials, buying reclaimed materials at low cost, etc.

So, the message is, my property is nothing to do with being wealthy, because I'm not. This property is within the means of anyone who's put in 20 years of hard work, some good civil engineering skills, some good friends, & smart with their purchases.

I'm a "grafter". I know the meaning of hard work, & I never give up. I work methodically until the job is done. I finish what I start. So, no royal heritage, no fat bank balance, just a guy from the gutter who knows the meaning of applying himself.

Yes, I'm proud of what I've achieved. My house & grounds are now complete. I take huge pleasure in creating stuff out of nothing. That's why I love timber built structures, watching plants grow from seed or cuttings, using surplus boulders for landscaping, creating beauty where there was once a wasted opportunity. These backgrounds of natural materials also make great contextual backdrops for photo's of our new drums too ;)

Good story. I seriously think you should have a drummer's weekend visit at your property one summer where those from DW and around the world could visit and stay a few days, sharing stories and camaraderie, check out some Origin drums, etc. It would be fun.